"Verily those who believe and do good deeds,
verily We waste not the recompense of him who doeth good deeds.”
18:30
[This article is an excerpt from a future book In-Sha-Allah. The
copyright is reserved by the author and this Newsletter. We pray that he will
finish this book soon. May the Almighty
Lord protect him and reward him for his goodness. He gives success through
His mercy to whomsoever of them that works righteousness, Ameen]
If you would just think about the
beauty of the declaration, “Subhana
Rabbiyal A’ala” (Glory be to the Sustaining Lord the Most High), and
imagine the feeling of love and submission that must come from the heart when
you recite this, you would automatically find it lingering on your tongue and
affecting your entire being. Salat is an enaction of the occasion of Me’raj
when it was ordained on Muslims. It is a Mehraj-ul-Mohmeneen
(Me’raj of the believers), and we must perform it with Khushu (devotion). Otherwise,
we are cheating Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala),
expecting our prayers to be accepted and answered, but failing to give it its
due reverence.
Allah (Subhanahu wa
Ta’Ala)
says in Sura Al-e-Imran (3:13),
“Fair-seeming to men is made the love of desires, of women and sons and
hoarded treasures of gold and silver and well-bred horses and cattle and tilth.
This is the provision of the life of this world. And Allah – with Him is the
good goal (of life).” Caught in this imbibed
love of the ephemeral things of the life of this world, we should be wary of
slipping into dishonesty and into falling short in the line of duty. In
relationships with women, men owe the respect of the sanctity of marriage, and
within the institution of marriage, there are duties of a husband toward his
wife and duties of a wife toward her husband. When we have children, we owe them
education and a kindly and disciplined upbringing.
In Arabic, ‘Silm’ means peace and
also means iman, the inner core or depth of faith. ‘Sulh’ also means peace,
or treaty, or amicable settlement, or to put things in order, or to reconcile,
and signifies behavior that is righteous, just, and dignified. Islam does not
allow Muslims to remain silent toward mischief, and enjoins peace with justice
and equity for all.
The dearest of mankind to The Almighty
Lord, is the one who acts with kindness and with responsibility toward all
fellow human beings as well as toward animals and even plants. Yet, shamefully,
there is discrimination on earth. If the people at the time of Nabiy Salih (Alayhi
AlSalam)
deserved punishment for killing a she-camel, what will be the fate of those who
kill the innocent children? A father in an oppressed land prayed O my Lord, they
treated my son as they treated the she-camel of Salih.
The world is indulged materialism and
self-desire, ignoring poverty of the needy, and the fear and insecurity of many
people.
Mankind must strive to benefit the
entire world, attacking the problems they might face today to benefit tomorrow.
They must ensure peace and urge the support of justice with equality, and
struggle against injustice and corruption. They must search for true contentment
by alleviating the tragic suffering of humanity and ensure comfort and happiness
by establishing prosperity and peace, and by encouraging goodness and kindness.
People of different faiths as well as those who believe in the oneness of
humanity are trying to come together to eradicate the weakness of mankind toward
faith, immoralities, the spread of crimes, discrimination, and the use of force
against people who have nothing. The gifts of The Almighty Lord are to be used
for constructively for the benefit and cooperation among all mankind. All must
contribute in supporting the right and suppressing the injustice, oppression,
and transgression.
A large number of requests, through
phone calls, letters, and in person, have been received from those who are
interested in the AL-KUFA Newsletter,
Dawah program, the Prayer Time-Table
and also from those who filled the Free Subscription / Cancellation Form for the
AL-KUFA Newsletter. In-Sha-Allah, the
Center will continue publishing the prayer time-table for each month on KCIK’s
website. The number of requests for the AL-KUFA
Newsletter for December 2000 increased by sixty copies from the previous
month. Those who do not receive the AL-KUFA
Newsletter may get it through KCIK’s
website. Please share this newsletter as well as other material you receive from
us, including the Glorious Qur'an with others, Jazakum
Allah Khair.
Because of the large numbers of letters
that AL-KUFA has received, we will
acknowledge and publish only some of these letters each time. We are unable to
include references due to space limitations. Our purpose of publishing these
letters is to (a) make a certain plea known to the public in order that they
might respond for the pleasure of Allah (Subhanahu Wa
Ta’Ala),
(b) make us all aware of certain circumstances, or (c) to share a joyous news as
well as to make Dua'as and Prayers for those who are ill or have lost a loved
one, and also for the one they have lost. NOTE:
For those who are interested in announcing
the birth of a child, sponsorship of orphan/child,
graduation, wedding, death, and for those who are have lost contact with a
loved one, or wish to publish matrimonial or employment interests or to
participate in the Muslim Inmate Rehabilitation Fund, please contact the Kufa
Center of Islamic Knowledge {you
must include a telephone number for matrimonial requests and please
include your full name in English as well as your complete address, telephone number,
and identification number with
picture}.
Those who send letters and e-mails, please also provide the Center with your
telephone numbers.
In addition, brothers and sisters who are requesting of us various Islamic
materials and messages, please provide us with a full name, postal address,
telephone number, and e-mail address. If this is to be sent to an institution,
please ensure that the institution will accept such material(s), even if it is
just the AL-KUFA Newsletter (please
inform us in this case about the committed
name and DC number for ID). Please type your request(s) and sign the paper.
In-Sha-Allah, we will continue sending this newsletter to whoever wishes to
receive it. Also, we request readers to let us know their new addresses when
they relocate. Thank you brothers and sisters, and may Allah (Subhanahu Wa
Ta’Ala) reward
all of you. Jazakum Allah Khairan.
The Center gave two Prayer rugs, three
Glorious Qur'an and five Islamic caps (Kufi) to the City Roanoke Jail. We can
arrange (at our expense) for people to call specific individuals, or to call a
group of Muslims over a speaker phone, at an appointed time to provide lessons
or answer questions on Islam, In-Sha-Allah.
They started their letters with the
Name of Allah,“BISM-ILLAH-IR-RAHMAN-lR-RAHIM” and their
greetings,“Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh”, and they ended
their letters with the greeting,“Wa Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa
Barakatuh.”
The time has come for the Kufa Center of Islamic Knowledge (KCIK) to welcome new members. We
invite you to be a member or honorary member or you may choose from the
following: 1) Active Member (Muslim), 2) Adjunct Member (any individual who is
interested in Islam), and 3) Honorary Member.
The annual dues for membership in 2001 shall be as follows: Student (individual or family $12); Others (individual $18 and family $20); and [Honorary members do not pay dues].
The payment is due in January 2001.
However, for any individual who is unable to pay this, part or all of his/her
dues may be waived. Jazakum Allah Khair
for becoming a member of KCIK. May
Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Ta'Ala)
reward you for your good deeds. The Glorious Qur'an says, “Those who spend
their wealth in the path of Allah, (and) thereafter follow it not with
obligation or injury, for them is their reward with their Lord, and neither
shall they have (any) fear and nor shall they grief.” 2:274
In-Sha-Allah, those who are interested
in serving on the Board of the Executive Council and the Board of Directors for
the Project Committee, please let us know. The Board of Directors of the Project
Committee consists of nine directors who supervise the following committees:
education, publications, library, program activities and public relations,
maintenance, children and youth programs, membership, fund raising, and
ladies’ programs. The terms of service will be for two years for the Board of
the Executive Council and for one year the Board of Directors. For further
information, please feel free to contact KCIK
at the address given in the editorial page of AL-KUFA Newsletter. Thank you for supporting KCIK. May Allah (Subhanhu Wa Ta'Ala)
reward you generously for all your good deeds.
We also urge each and every member of KCIK to inform us about any individual who is interested in becoming a KCIK member. You, brothers and sisters, may want to send us more names and addresses of your relatives, friends, colleagues, or neighbors, whom you think would like to join KCIK as active or adjunct members and/or have their names added to the KCIK mailing list or directory. We appreciate your kind help in this regard. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) strengthen our local community and increase our commitment to serve the cause of Islam and the growth of the entire Muslim Community over the world. O' Lord, reward those who acted righteously with goodness, Ameen.
In-Sha-Allah, we will report to you the
income (receipts) and expenses (payments and/or costs) through the coming
months.
Total receipts for the three months:
donations for AL-KUFA Newsletter
and/or other programs $3,140, Zakat Al-Fitr $499, and Zakat
$375 (cash $159 and checks $3,842). Total = $4,001.00.
Total expenditures for the three
months: Printing the AL-KUFA
Newsletter: $231; Mailing Periodicals: $720; Stamps: $50.15; Telephone: $67.76;
Envelopes (large): $19.77; Envelopes (small) $22.62: All in one $559.98;
Printing Accessory $79; Warranty $59.99, Shredder $169.99;
Cartridges: $122.94; Labels: $114.21; Eid Gifts for the Children $20.00; Scotch
Tape: $13.84; Correcting Whiteout $9.99; Glue Sticks: $5.97; Needy/Sick Families
and Children: $685. Total = $2813.22.
Total receipts, including checks, cash,
credits, rebates, awards, and other resources (January through December, 2000) =
Jan.-Mar. [$1,877 +($250) for sick/needy]; Apr.-June ($267); July-Sept. ($271 +
$120 for sick/needy families); Oct.-Dec. ($4,001). Total = $6,786.00 +$214.77 = $7000.77 + $200: $7200.77.
Total expenditures (January through
December, 2000): Jan.-Mar. [$1,143.47 +($100 for needy sister +$50 for sick
sister + $300 for sick/needy families]; Apr.-June ($1,017.12 + $100 for sick
sister + $100 for needy sister); July-Sept. ($1,304.05 + $100 for sick sister
and $100 for needy sister); Oct.-Dec. ($2,813.22). Total = $7,127.86.
The total receipts of this annual
report include donations to other programs and/or other causes. Any donations
for the KUFA Scholarship, the Muslim
Inmate Rehabilitation Fund and for a sick sister as well as $2,000 for the poor
and needy of the followers of Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) have
been excluded from the Financial Report Summary. Since these amounts from
various donors were specified for particular individuals. Note: The underline of the donations and/or expenditures have
been excluded from this report and In-Sha-Allah will report them in the future.
Since the Center received their donations as well as spent other expenditures
during the month of January of 2001. Let us pray together that this mission will
have a permanent place, and that the AL-KUFA publications, especially the AL-KUFA Newsletter, and all KCIK
programs such as the KUFA Scholarship
and the Muslim Inmate Rehabilitation Fund will continue to serve the Muslims and
the entire world, as the fruit of this mission begins to blossom. and we thank you for sharing your gifts from Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Ta’Ala)
with us. O' Lord, fulfill our desire from the vastness of Thy Grace and do not
cut off our hope by refusal, Ameen.
We wish to express our heartiest
gratitude and gratefully acknowledgment those who sent letters, faxes, e-mails,
Eid cards, and called during the blessed month of Ramadan, and on the joyous and
holy occasion of Eid Al-Fitr Al-Mubarak with their kind greetings, and well
wishes and encouragement for us to continue publishing. Also, we wish the people
all around the world happiness and peace in this year and for all years to come.
Our thanks and appreciation to our
brothers and sisters who sent their Islamic dues and/or donations and we thank
you for sharing your gifts from Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala)
with us. Also, our special thanks and appreciation to all brothers and sisters,
who joined us for Eid prayers, and for breakfast and dinner, and also to those
who shared, and prepared the food for Eid Al-Fitr Al-Mubarak. In-Sha-Allah, we
will see them again soon.
A genuine believer sheds his/her
repentant sins. The tears of a repentant sinner are the most beloved tears in Allah
(Subhanhu Wa Ta’Ala)'s
sight, and numerous instances are recorded of some reputed transgressors of
Allah (Subhanhu Wa Ta'Ala)'s laws being forgiven and granted
Allah (Subhanhu
Wa Ta’Ala)'s
Mercy and Forgiveness by means of weeping sincere repentance
O’ Lord, I lack endurance for excess
effort, patience in affliction, and strength to bear poverty. So forbid me not
my provision and entrust me not to Thy creatures, but take care of my need
Thyself, and suffice me! Look after me in all my affairs, bless me in that which
Thou providest me, in that which Thou conferrest upon me, and in that through
which Thou favourest me. Make me in safeguarded, watched, covered, defended,
given refuge, and granted sanctuary all my states, Ameen.
Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi
Waalihi Wasalam) said, “If Allah were to guide a single person through you,
that is better for you than everything under the sun.”
Indeed, of all people, the severest of sufferings and afflictions are faced by the Anbiya, and after them, by others in proportion to their degree of merit.